Miss G Tucker
UND
FCO
CONFIDENTIAL
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Ma Quái vui Moroaugh 261
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we have it).
Date
24 October 1979
DE HAAN'S (DEPUTY HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES) CALL ON MR BLAKER 1. You asked whether we had any ideas on the subjects De Haan might raise when he sees Mr Blaker. I would think it was worth briefing the Minister on the two points raised by Mr Hartling when he met Mr Raison during the Executive Committee vis: the speed of resettlement in the UK and the implementation of UK obligations under the Refugee Convention and Protocol. I copied the record of the meeting to Robert Stimson on 10 October.
2.
De Haan might also ask whether and to what extent we are prepared to help with the other categories of Indo-Chinese refugees (ie the Orderly Departure Scheme, handicapped and minors) and whether they would be in addition to our quota. As you will see from my letter of 15 October to Clive Stitt describing the resettlement meeting that he chaired, De Haan made it clear that UNHCR's view is that these categories should be in addition to quotas. There is also the question of whether we are prepared to contribute to a UNHCR pool of places, for refugees picked up by (basically) ships of flags of convenience (see also our savingram no 105 of 16 August on the Rescue at Sea meeting which De Haan chaired) and whether they, and refugees picked up by our own flag ships and resettled in the UK, are also outside the quota. He may ask why the UK is no longer prepared to give an automatic guarantee of resettle- ment to refugees rescued by our flag ships, a question which I understood the High Commissioner was to have raised with Mr Raison had there been time.
3.
You might also like to look at the results of the Executive Committee which are described in our telno 495 - despatched specifically with De Haan's visit in mind - and the delegation report which I sent to Robert Stinson under cover of my letter of 19 October. De Haan is almost certain to probe further into our attitude to the Fund for Durable Solutions, described in para 7 of our report. This is linked to the question of our contributions and whether we shall be in a position to contribute to the Fund and the refugee processing centres questions De Haan might very well put. He might also refer to our discouraging reply to his request for the UK to resettle a group of urban Ethiopian refugees in Djibouti - see FCO telno 2/3 to Geneva.
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